Past Lives- The Crusades
by Jet556
Summary: A past life story set during one of the Crusades.
1. Act I

**Dramatis Personae**

 **The Crusaders**

The Fourth Raymond, Count of Toulouse (Randy's past life)

The Beautiful Ida, Raymond's lady (Theresa's past life)

The Invulnerable Huguccio, Base Priest (Howard's past life)

The Wily Stephen, Count of Blois (Stevens' past life)

 **The "Infidels" and Pagans**

The first Kilij, Sultan of Rum (Ken's past life)

The Treacherous Nameisis, Pagan Warrior (Niall's past life)

 **ACT I**

 **SCENE I**

 _(The Holy Land. An oasis.)_

The Crusades. For as long as there were differences in religions there have ever been such things but never has one side been on the moral high ground alone or one to be on the moral low ground alone. Christians were not inherently good or evil nor were the "infidels" or pagans. The Christians, the Crusaders were the heroes in the Third Crusade and the Ninth Crusade. In the Fourth Crusade they were villains. In all other crusades the morality was more or less grey, there was no clear black or white.

So it was that at an oasis two individuals, one from each side met. Both were without land. One was Huguccio, a base priest and brother of the woman Sultan Kilij of Rum loved. The other was Nameisis, a pagan warrior whose gods were being killed by the Christian God but he was a treacherous as Huguccio was base but while Huguccio was base out of choice Nameises was treacherous out of necessity.

"Get thee gone, pagan!" ordered Huguccio. "Get thee gone now or I shall kill you."

"An oasis is a place of peace and truce." Said Nameisis. "I came here to drink, leave me be."

"I will not stand an unbelieving pagan such as yourself in my presence."

"Then leave."

"I thirst!"

"Then you must stand my presence." Said Nameisis, bending down and placing a hand into the cool water.

Huguccio gripped the staff he was holding and raised it to commit murder. He would have murdered Nameisis had Cound Raymond IV of Toulouse had not arrived.

"Huguccio, get back to camp!" ordered Raymond. "I will speak with the other nobles to see to it that you are no longer permitted to leave so you do not break the truce between our warring bands at places such as this."

"And I shall plot your excommunication." Said Huguccio. "For being invulnerable, I can plot both murder and excommunication."


	2. ACT II

**ACT II**

 **SCENE I**

 _The Holy Land. The Crusader Camp._

The Crusaders were heroes to be sure but even a whole company of heroes can have some evil amongst it. Huguccio was an evil fellow to be sure for being a man of God does not immediately mean one is good and he was one who often spat on a priest's vow of pacifism.

He was not alone however in his evil. There was one other amongst the Crusaders who was the exception to the fact that all Crusaders were heroes. Count Stephen of Blois was a wily fellow, just as Huguccio was rumored to be invulnerable.

Against the kings did he plot to ensure that he had the most plunder, just as Huguccio plotted to make sure he had pagans and infidels to kill.

Still Raymond and his lady Ida could only discuss those two whom the entire company of Crusaders hated for it is the custom of heroes to hate villains. They spoke of them with detest but still Raymond even had to admit something.

"For all of Huguccio's failings if he had a proper set of morals then he and I could be good friends." Commented Raymond in his tent in a chair opposite of Ida. "If there is any truth to his claims of invulnerability I could respect him but I have never seen him in battle so often I question that."

"There are people who say a man of God does not lie but I have a sense that all Huguccio ever does is lie." Stated Ida. "Besides, when my father died he left me with a huge debt to the church and upon your marrying me it has fallen to you. Thankfully, the good King of England was able to give us what we needed to pay those corrupt priests. Only the priests who have joined us, save Huguccio, are as men of God should be."

"As Nameisis said when I spoke to him earlier 'Good and Evil is everywhere but to find the good you must be willing to look for it.'" Observed Raymond. "He only regretted he and Kilij weren't the only heroes amongst a company of villains."

"Treachery is not something that is inherently evil." Commented Ida. "Sometimes depending on those around them a good person must be more treacherous than the evil ones around them."

"I wonder if Kilij is in such a position as sultan." Wondered Raymond. "Nameisis is no one of importance by rank but he is a great warrior so he may not be in that position."

"He may." Suggested Ida. "Since jealousy is something known to all, regardless of whom someone worships."


	3. ACT III

**ACT III**

 _SCENE I. The Holy Land. The Heathen and Pagan Camp. Kilij's tent._

In contrary to most heathens or pagans who preferred to spend their free time killing Crusaders, Sultan Kilij of Rum was a different sort. He preferred to read during his free time. Currently he was reading "The Iliad" by Homer.

How much like his life it was. He was Menelaus and Huguccio's sister was his Helen. The difference here was that the two were separated by their religion.

Being aggressive against others of different religions made no sense. There were many trees in the forest but they all shared the same sky. As for matters of race, the mixing of different seeds could create the most beautiful of flowers.

Kilij was among the wisest men of his time. He was someone respected across the world, unfortunately this time he was respected as a warrior and war was something he had little love for but the Crusaders were the ones with the moral high ground but the Heathens and Pagans were completely lacking a spot on the moral high ground.

 _SCENE II. The Holy Land. The Heathen and Pagan Camp._

Nameisis was a different sort from the usual treacherous person. Indeed in all past lives and future lives of his that made him treacherous it was more out of necessity than choice, it was out of a need to survive due to a harsh society.

Kilij had taught him to read and so Nameisis read one of Kilij's books. It was a book from England called "Beowulf." It was a poem to be precise and it was something Nameisis enjoyed a great deal.

Earning glory, fighting monsters, it was all things Nameisis could dream of. Unfortunately, there was no glory for one on the side that did not have the moral high ground and the Christ god had killed all the monsters.

So all Nameisis could do was dream. He dreamt of the Scandinavia of the fifth century instead of the Latvia that his people the Semigallians knew so well. He dreamt of Heorot, he dreamt of the dragon that Beowulf had fought, he dreamt of the cave where Beowulf fought and slew Grendel's mother.

Nameisis had been born in the wrong century. How much happier he would have been in that time.


	4. ACT IV

**ACT IV**

 _(Raymond's tent.)_

Holding a message delivered from Kilij by Nameisis, Raymond stared at the pagan warrior before him. The message said that Kilij wanted to meet with Raymond and Stephen. Hugluccio was left unmentioned.

"And the reason our base Italian priest is left unmentioned would be?" asked Raymond.

"Why should someone without a rank be included?" asked Nameisis in response.

"This is a meeting to negotiate peace." Stated Raymond. "How do you feel about that?"

"All I care about is that there is less bloodshed. It bores me."

"It bores me as well." Agreed Raymond. "There is no excitement in battle. Only horror."

"I was born in the wrong age." Commented Nameisis. "I would prefer I had been born in an earlier age… I would have preferred I had been born in an age of glory when pagans ruled the world."

"You wished to have been a Roman of Augustus' era?" asked Raymond.

"If that is the age of glory when pagans ruled then yes." Replied Nameisis.

"Whom do you worship?" asked Raymond.

"I spend so much time dreaming of who I might have been I don't even know anymore." Replied Nameisis.


	5. ACT V

**ACT V**

 **SCENE I**

 _(The holy land. An oasis.)_

All stood at the oasis. The Crusaders were on one side with the Infidels and Pagans on the other. Huguccio had shown up uninvited and so Raymond stared at him, Stephen did as well. Kilij could see him from where he stood as he discussed peace with the Crusader leaders.

Nameisis stood beside Kilij as a bodyguard, his eyes were on Huguccio as well. There was just something wrong about that priest

While Stephen was on Huguccio's side, he wasn't really one who approved of what he was about to do. He stepped into Huguccio's view while shaking his head with a nervous look on his face.

Alas, Huguccio ignored Stephen. He then drew a knife and started towards the leaders only to find Raymond's hands around the hood of his habit. The hood ripped and Huguccio fell upon his own knife. Thus did he die, no one even noticed until three days later. So died that villain.

 **The End**


End file.
